Analytics in the MLB Part 2: Interview with an operations analyst for the San Francisco Giants

A data-driven process has been the backbone of a 107 win San Francisco Giants team, and operations analyst Rohanna Pacheco has been a key figure in the team’s success. 

Pacheco was born and raised in Venezuela and attended the University of Houston-Victoria. 

Rohanna came about working for a professional MLB organization right out of college, where she applied for the MLB Diversity Fellowship Program, which was designed by the MLB to give more job opportunities to people from historically underrepresented populations in MLB front offices

“I didn’t really know at first that sports analytics was an option for me to pursue as a career,” Pacheco said. “But I saw that opportunity when I was looking for things to do after my graduation and it worked out on its own.”

As she began working for professional teams, she saw how data was processed to aid in decision-making within the front office, specifically with the Giants. 

“I think that our organization is becoming recognized as a data-driven organization,” Pacheco said. “We are very focused on processes and we design these processes on analytical data through reporting and projections.” 

These skills aid data analysts like Pacheco as well as leaders within an organization in evaluating players to dictate decisions in the process of trades, free agency drafts, and more. On the field, analytics is used to maximize each player’s developing respective skills. 

So, what does Pacheco do for the Giants? 

Pacheco specifically works on advanced scouting reports for player development, or analyzes game matchups to optimize the chances of winning. 

“If we are playing the Dodgers, I might analyze some data on Clayton Kershaw, who might be pitching that day, analyzing his pitch selection or location and what pitches he throws in certain counts,” Pacheco said. “Or, I might analyze Trea Turner’s base stealing habits and his batting tendencies against our pitchers, and report the findings to the coaches who might strategize around the reports.” 

But more importantly, Pacheco works to develop players on the Giants, finding weaknesses and helping them to address them. 

“Let’s say, for example, I notice that Mike Yastrzemski isn’t doing well against high fastballs. I’ll present the data and report to the hitting coaches, who will then work with Yaz on improving against the high fastballs,” said Pacheco. 

The uses of analytics in baseball extend well beyond the playing field. Though considered a low spending team, the Giants have been able to acquire players written off by many fans and organizations and develop them into key players for the Giants. 

“I think that there is a lot of analytics involved in this process,” said Pacheco. “And it isn’t just Farhan Zaidi [President of Operations] that is involved, but also Scott Harris, the GM, and the whole leadership, who have all been watching baseball for years and years. And if you combine their baseball knowledge with their value of an analytics based process, it becomes very powerful, and it has been very valuable for our team.” 

Even as valuable as analytics are to the Giants' processes, Pacheco admits that there needs to be a balance between the use of analytics and traditional baseball knowledge. According to Pacheco, there is no single definitive process in assessing player or team performances. 

“There are so many factors in baseball that we can not realistically quantify,” said Pacheco. “At the end of the day, players are humans, going through their own lives, and numbers cannot possibly account for a majority of those experiences.”

The balance, Pacheco states, is understanding that all data and analytics have to be consumed by people. Even with endless resources in the analytics department, if coaches and players are not able to understand and utilize the data, there is no use. 

Regardless, many fans in the MLB remain skeptical of the uses of analytics in the game of baseball, believing that analytics are ruining the game. 

While everyone is entitled to their own opinion, Pacheco believes that the problem is not analytics itself, but rather the fact that there are different perspectives and interpretations of how the game should be played. 

“As someone who works in analytics, I obviously can’t really say that I’m ruining the game,” Pacheco said with a smile. “At the end of the day, the analytics department is not making up numbers. We are analyzing real game data and putting numbers on what happens on the field.” 

Analytics quantify different aspects of the game of baseball on the field into easily understandable and accessible numbers that can be used by coaches to improve the team.  Even if these numbers are making the game of baseball slower and often more strategic, which comes at the expense of an entertaining game, analytics are an important asset for teams looking to bolster their roster and improve their chances of winning. Analytics also has a hidden benefit, one that many do not think about. 

“Analytics has given people a lot of opportunities for new jobs, whether it is coaches, players, or analysts like me,” Pacheco said. “And it’s not just any job opportunity: it’s one of the most exciting jobs to have, to be able to analyze data on professional players and help them to develop by informing them of what specifically they need to improve on and how to maximize their talent.” 

Pacheco’s work has certainly paid off for the Giants in the form of a 107 win season. 

“This was my first season for the Giants, so it was all new to me,” Pacheco said. “One of the things I remember was noticing that Kapler, Farhan, and some veteran players like [Buster] Posey, [Brandon] Crawford, and [Evan] Longoria were all talking about how they were looking to win the division, not just settle for a wild card spot.” 

Despite the confidence, many fans were skeptical of the Giants’ potential, especially when comparing the roster to National League West heavyweights like the Padres or the Dodgers. 

“Even with the roster they had, we had something they didn’t: the underdog mentality and our intense desire to win,” Pacheco said. “That was something that became a recurring theme throughout the season that we really emphasized.”

But the season’s success took a lot more than just grit and grind. 

“There were definitely a lot of exciting days, but there were just as many long and exhausting days,” Pacheco said. “We really had to support each other and play our part in helping this team succeed. We had a really good direction for the team and, in the end, it was a really intense season up until the final game.” 

It’s safe to say that Pacheco has one of the most important and exciting jobs in the sports industry. Her work would not be possible without the tools she has developed and put to use for the Giants. 

“For us in the analytics department, we use a lot of coding languages such as SQL, Python, and R, as well as wearable technology to help us with both batting and pitching such as swing path and launch angle, which we can use to analyze later.”

Despite the valuable languages and technology that Pacheco uses in her work, she stresses that these are merely tools and are not applicable without the human that has the proper skills of communication and collaboration. 

“One surprising skill that is important for analysts, and a skill I would advise to anyone looking for a career as an analyst, would be to learn other languages,” Pacheco said. “For MLB analysts in particular, Spanish is most important. Coming from Venezuela, Spanish is my first language, which has become useful, as there is a huge population of Latin American players in baseball.”

Spanish, she says, helps analysts communicate analytics to the players. But it also provides comfort and easier communication for players who are adapting to a new setting in a new country, constrained by the language barrier.  

“By developing that second language, you are able to connect with players on a personal level as well. Being able to break down that language barrier can help the players become more comfortable in their setting and give you a chance to communicate to a broader audience of players.”